mascarpone

Hi chefs. Recently i tried to make a cream using beaten mascarpone and creme anglaise! I had my mascarpone at room temperature overnight. When i tried to beat it with the sheet on low speed for a few turns It turned out grainy like it had curdled and not creamy as i was expecting... As a result the cream was a disaster. I have never used mascarpone cheese again. either i used a low quality cheese or i made somthing wrong. Any ideas? Thanks a lot!

a creamy mascarpone layer ,strawberries, chocolate chips and crumble topping. Whith creme anglaise cold you blend it delicately with creamy beaten mascarpone...With philadelphia cheese i have made a lot of creams. The mascarpone one failed and i dont know the reason

For the longest time, I used a mascarpone cream that started out with sabayon using brandy, then had gelatin added and finally whipped cream and mascarpone. It would last several days in the fridge and was pipeable.

Then another pastry chef gave me her "quick tiramisu filling" recipe and I have adapted that for several applications. Don't turn your nose up at its simplicity - the results are delicious and very adaptable. I made a lovely Thanksgiving entremet by adding pumpkin puree and spices to the mascarpone cream.

Here is the quick version -

2# mascarpone

14 ox 10x

5 c cream

1/4 c liqueur

Whisk mascarpone and 10x to combine, then slowly add cream while whipping. Scrape bowl often, add liqueur and whip to very firm peaks. (You can take this mix further than straight whip cream without it breaking). This will hold its shape when piped for one or two days, then will need to be re-whipped.

Also - you mentioned leaving your mascarpone cream out overnight, I am not sure if that is such a good idea. It is ok with cream cheese because of the lower moisture content, but I would work with mascarpone cold. Perhaps that contributed to the problem with the sauce's texture?

The recipe from Chef Van Damme looks very similar to the other one I mentioned that I had good results with. But your own recipe looks good and there shouldn't be anything wrong with just leaving the mascarpone out for an hour to warm a bit. It is worth another try.

Mascarpone can't be beaten with a whip. It will break very easily. I use a paddle and then just to smooth it out. The above post about the quick tiramisu filling is a better way to go. When whipping mascarpone, if you add cream slowly, it will whip up smoothly and not break. I've used this method many times and it works great.

I agree with the above posts. Use Mascarpone cold and use a paddle on low speed, scraping often. I used to make a "mousse" from it using just a little heavy cream blended into the cheese with a little sugar and liqueur, but it only keeps for about two days. The water will tend to separate, but you can refresh it just by briefly beating it with a spatula. I only made as much as I needed for two days because of this. Keep in mind that sugar is a liquifier and will only assist in pulling out the moisture.

I had a similar problem when trying a mascarpone panna cotta--even with a fairly tepid cream/gelatin mixture. It is definitely because standard US brands of mascarpone are cheap and only suitable for cold preparations. If you want a cheese that can stand up to light whipping and some higher heats without separating, try Chef Bo Friberg's recipe for mascarpone:

Tartaric Acid Solution

Yield: 180 ml

1/2 cup (120 ml) water, hot

4 oz (115 g) tartaric acid

1. Mix until dissolved. Pour into eyedropper bottle.

Mascarpone

Yield: 1 lb 8 oz (680 g)

2 qt (1 L 920 ml) heavy cream

1 tsp (5 ml) tartaric acid solution

1. Reduce cream by one-third, about 5 1/4 cups (1 L 260 ml).

2. Shock in ice bath and stir until cold. Add tartaric acid solution.

3. Heat to 118F (48C).

4. Pour over at least three layers of cheesecloth and allow to drain in refrigerator overnight.